


feline good

by driftingskies237



Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: Cats, Established Relationship, Fluff, Gen, High School, Love, M/M, Secrets, Sneaking Around, a little bit angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-25
Updated: 2019-07-25
Packaged: 2020-07-19 07:55:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19970611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/driftingskies237/pseuds/driftingskies237
Summary: TJ and Cyrus find a stray cat and attempt to hide it from TJ's parents.





	feline good

It’s midnight when the bright blue glow illuminates from his bedside table, piercing ring interrupting the silent room. Cyrus groans tiredly into his pillow as he flops to his other side, tugging a heap of blankets. Heavy, uncoordinated limbs grapple for his phone numerous times before his hand finally catches onto the corner of it. He drags it back into toward his face, squinting to see who’s calling. Of course, it comes as no surprise to see TJ’s contact name displayed across the front. He slides his finger at least three times before he’s successful in answering the call.

“TJ? What—?”

Not waiting for him to finish, TJ begs into the phone. “Cyrus, I need your help!”

The desperate nature of his tone sets Cyrus on edge. He’s suddenly more awake than before, sitting upright in bed. Already, he’s beginning to search for a jacket to slip on.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Cyrus questions with worry.

On the other side of the line, Cyrus hears strong amounts of shuffling and static noises. TJ’s voice can be heard in the background, but Cyrus can’t make out any of the words he says.

“Just get over to my house as soon as you can,” TJ replies vaguely.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

Sleepiness long-gone, Cyrus stumbles out of bed in a rush. He changes out of his dinosaur pajama pants into a pair of ratty old shirts. He zips on a random jacket and shoves a pair of shoes on his feet. Finally, he grabs his phone and tiptoes out of his room, closing the door behind him. He manages to avoid the creaky spots on the stairs and slips out of the house silently.

TJ’s house is only a short walk away, but even in a small town like Shadyside walking alone in the dark can feel terrifying. Not to mention, his boyfriend is in some sort of trouble. Worst case scenarios play through Cyrus’s head like a broken record. His endless fears eventually cause him to speed up to almost a jog as he rounds the block to TJ’s house.

The street is empty, and the lights at TJ’s house are all dark. Cyrus approaches their driveway out of breath. He stands there for a moment, hand on his hip, while he contemplates what to do next. What state would he even find TJ in? He probably needs to prepare himself for whatever comes next.

“Psst!” A voice hisses from the shadows.

Cyrus jumps, letting out an involuntary squeak as he jerks his head around to try and detect the source of the noise.

“It’s just me, don’t worry,” A familiar voice promises.

Following TJ’s voice, he ends up near the gate to TJ’s backyard. Sure enough, there’s TJ, standing in front of the gate with a wild expression on his face. He looks like he just got out of bed, too, not that his daytime clothes are much different than the ones he wears at night since they both consist of a basketball shirt and old shorts.

Still confused, Cyrus opens his mouth to ask TJ to explain when he hears a clattering noise behind the fence.

“TJ, what was that?” Cyrus whispers, rubbing his forearms.

TJ frowns. “I don’t know. That’s why I need your help. I was sleeping when all of the sudden that noise started up, and it hasn’t stopped since.”

“What if it’s a bear? Or a burglar? Or a murderer?!”

TJ braces his hand on Cyrus’s shoulder. “Hey, don’t worry. It’s probably just the wind, but just in case it’s something else, I brought something for defense.”

He bends down and pulls a dark object from the bushes. At first, Cyrus can’t tell what it is. He hopes it’s a baseball bat with nails stuck in it, but when it catches the light from the streetlamp, Cyrus can tell exactly what it is.

“You grabbed a frying pan?!” Cyrus snorts.

“Hey, in Tangled that’s Rapunzel’s weapon of choice!”

“Why didn’t you grab your old baseball bat?”

“I don’t know, okay?! I panicked!”

Rustling and clanging from behind the fence interrupts their bickering. They freeze, Cyrus clinging to TJ’s side while TJ raises the frying pan out in front of him menacingly. TJ shuffles toward the gate, hand raising to open the latch.

“If you get me killed tonight, I’m going to come back and haunt you,” Cyrus threatens, still latched onto his boyfriend’s arm like a padlock.

TJ flips the latch and pulls the gate open. It creaks loudly, causing both boys to pause in their tracks. The noise momentarily stops, as if whatever or whoever is causing it knows they’ve arrived to intrude on its space. Cyrus holds his breath as they take cautious steps into TJ’s backyard. Everything appears to be normal.

The noise reverberates across the yard, allowing them to pinpoint the exact place it’s coming from: the shed. Sitting in the very corner of his yard, one of the doors is slightly ajar. Cyrus gulps.

He protests as TJ tries to advance. “Haven’t you seen any scary movie ever? You never go in the creepy shed!”

“This isn’t a horror movie, Cy.”

“It could be if there’s a murderer behind that door!”

TJ raises his frying pan even higher. “I’ll protect you. I promise.”

Finally, Cyrus trudges along with him, both staying glued to each other’s sides. They approach the entrance to the shed, noise louder than ever. Cyrus flinches as TJ takes a step closer to try and peer inside. He waits for the news to run away, but it never comes.

“I don’t see anything,” TJ murmurs. “Maybe it was just the wind.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I mean—”

He reaches open to pull the door open further to show Cyrus, but before he can fully open the shed up, a gigantic sound erupts from inside, followed by an awful screeching. They both leap backwards with a screech. Cyrus tumbles over a mound of dirt, landing on his butt. Being practically attached to TJ, he drags him down on the dirt as well. They scamper backwards away from the shed, hearts pounding faster and harder than ever thought possible.

A shadow emerges from the shed. Elegant, swift, fast. Cyrus braces himself for every possible outcome, already curing TJ for dragging him into this. The figure approaches them. Neither TJ nor Cyrus dare to move, breaths caught in their throats.

_“Meow.”_

TJ’s the first to calm down. He sits up, squinting at the moving figure. It comes closer and closer until finally they’re both able to make out its form. Just like expected from its vocalization, a cat stands in front of them, swishing its long tail back and forth. Green eyes stare at them, piercing through the darkness of the night. Aside from those eyes, the rest of its black fur blends in, making it practically invisible.

Suddenly, TJ begins to giggle. “A cat. It’s just a little cat.”

He reaches his hand out toward the cat slowly, urging it to come closer. Cyrus still isn’t having it.

“Teej! What if it has rabies? What if it’s out to get us?”

“Come on, Cy! Look, she’s obviously just hungry. She must have been scavenging our shed for something to eat.”

The cat does look fairly skinny and is desperate enough not to immediately run away. Despite Cyrus’s worries, TJ’s infatuation with the animal makes his heart melt. He scoots closer to his boyfriend and the cat, meeting its bold eyes.

“I think we have some tuna in the house!” TJ claims. “Stay here and watch her! I’ll be right back.”

Before Cyrus can say anything, TJ’s padding inside his house through his backdoor. Now, it’s just Cyrus and the cat. Not having been around animals much during his lifetime, he isn’t quite sure what to do in such a situation. He stares. The cat stares back. The cat sits down and licks its paw, as if to claim its superiority over Cyrus.

“Hey kitty,” Cyrus says, wincing at the awkward tone of his voice. “Um…we’re getting you some food right now. Please don’t kill us?”

The cat pauses its cleaning to look up at Cyrus, but soon resumes licking itself, uninterested. Thankfully, TJ rushes back outside with an open can of fish in one hand. Immediately, the cat perks up from its spot in the damp grass. It sniffs the air curiously, searching out the source of the smell.

“Don’t worry, I got you some food,” TJ coos, placing the can a few feet in front of them.

Cyrus has never heard TJ baby talk before, but decides then and there that it’s the most adorable thing he’s ever heard.

Hesitantly, the cat stalks across the grass. When the cat reaches the can, it sniffs it once more as if to make sure it isn’t poisoned. Then, without further hesitation, it dives right in, gulping down the food so fast that Cyrus thinks it might choke.

“You were really hungry, huh girl?” TJ says.

“How do you know the cat’s a girl?”

TJ shrugs, reaching his hand out once again as the cat finishes off her tuna. “Just a feeling, I suppose.”

At first, the cat flinches at the sight of TJ’s hand, causing him to pull it back; however, recognizing the person who brought her food, she curiously trots closer toward him. He allows her to inspect his hand, sniffing it thoroughly before finally coming up closer and brushing the length of her sleek body along TJ’s leg. Even though Cyrus is still trying to get over his fears of all animals that could potentially harm him (which is basically all animals), he must admit that this cat is super cute.

“I think she likes me!” TJ grins, scratching the cat down the length of its spine. A purr starts up deep in the back of her throat as she continues rubbing up against him. “Come on, Underdog, pet her. She won’t bite.”

TJ takes his hand, which is still shaking from the adrenaline, and places it on top of the cat’s back. Although the cat is surprised by another person touching her, she doesn’t seem to mind to much. She simply arches into his hand as he runs his fingers gently through her soft fur.

“What should we name her?” TJ asks, scratching under her neck which elicits an exceptional strong purring noise.

Not sure how to pet her, Cyrus continues to idly rub down her back. “Name her? Teej, you can’t just adopt a cat off the streets!”

“Why not?”

“Well, first of all, your parents have never let you have a pet, and you expect them to be okay with you just picking up a random stray from the street and introducing her to your home?”

TJ curses. “You’re right. What about your parents?! You had a dog once, right?”

“Yeah, but both my step-parents are allergic to cats,” Cyrus says. “There’s no way we’d be able to keep her.”

TJ frowns, continuing to stroke her fur as he thinks. She eventually trusts him enough to climb up into his lap and paw at the front of his shirt as if to beg for more food. TJ gets this soft look on his face.

“Then we’ll just have to hide her from my parents, I guess,” TJ decides, not making any room for arguments.

“We?”

“Please, Cy? You’re my boyfriend! Aren’t we supposed to be partners in crime?”

Cyrus rolls his eyes at his pouting boyfriend, but is unable to resist his begging. He leans in to get another look at the cat whose taken residence on TJ’s lap.

“She is pretty cute,” He decides, rubbing a finger over her head. She purrs in delight.

TJ beams, kissing Cyrus’s cheek. “I knew you couldn’t resist! Now come on, we have some planning to do.”

* * *

They sneak her upstairs into TJ’s room. TJ sets up a bowl of water near the base of his bed so she can drink out of it. He attempts to make her a bed on the floor out of blankets, as well, but she takes up residence on his bed. Even though she ends up coating it in loads of cat hair, TJ doesn’t have the heart to make her get off. He’ll just have to remember to clean the hair up.

Both boys plan out what exactly they’ll need to pull this off. First things first is food. Since she like the tuna so much, they figure that canned food will work the best. They also have the issue of a litter box. There needs to be a place to hide it to keep the stench from cumulating through the house. He decides to clear out a space in his closet, keeping the door cracked just wide enough for her to get inside. To keep her from getting bored, they also want to get toys if they aren’t too noisy. Thankfully, it being summer makes all this much easier to pull off, as TJ doesn’t have to spend more than half of his day at school.

“We haven’t even talked about the most pressing matter yet,” TJ mentions.

The pair are laying on TJ’s bed together, cat curled up sleeping between them. Cyrus kind of hates that the cat is occupying his space by TJ’s side, but she looks so content that it just makes him smile.

“What’s that?”

“Her name!”

Cyrus giggles, boosting himself up slightly to turn and look at his boyfriend. “Is that really the most pressing matter?”

“Without a name, she won’t know who she is!”

“Okay, okay. Any ideas?”

TJ turns on his side, as well, eyes scanning over her sleek black fur as she sleeps. “How about midnight?”

“Teej, no offense, but that’s like the most cliché black cat name in existence.”

TJ throws his hands up. “Well sorry! I just figured since we found her around midnight and she’s black, it would be great. What’s your brilliant idea then?”

“How about Stella?”

“Stella? Why Stella?”

Cyrus shrugs. “I don’t know, it’s just a nice name.”

“What about Velma?”

“You just want to name her that because of your addiction with Scooby Doo!” Cyrus accuses, poking TJ in the side.

“Is that so wrong?”

Cyrus sighs, reaching out to stroke her fur. “No, actually. I think Velma is perfect. She looks like a Velma.”

TJ grins triumphantly. “I win, Velma, do you here that?!”

Velma lazily opens her eyes and blinks at him before going back to sleep.

“It wasn’t a competition, dork.”

TJ continues to grin, pulling Cyrus’s face over to his own while still being mindful of Velma lying between them. Then, he brings Cyrus into a tender kiss, finger brushing his cheekbone. They keep kissing for a minute until Velma shuffles from her spot, climbing right up to their faces and pawing at TJ’s chest. They break apart giggling, and TJ gives Velma some much needed affection.

Eventually, Cyrus must head back home for the night, so his parents don’t ground him for the rest of his life. He promises TJ that he’ll meet up with him at the pet store the next morning to help pick stuff out for Velma.

Bright and early, Cyrus gets ready to go. Despite the lack of sleep he got last night, he feels wide awake. The idea that him and TJ are taking care of a pet _together_ makes him excited. It’s like their first major responsibility as a couple.

He tells his mom and stepfather that he’s going to hang out with TJ, which is technically true. He asks to borrow the car, and they readily agree since both adore TJ almost more than Cyrus himself. He drives over to the pet store, which just opened, and spots TJ’s car immediately since it’s one of the only other cars in the parking lot.

“Guess who I brought?!” TJ grins as he climbs out of the car. In one arm, he effortlessly holds Velma’s petite body. She’s squirming a bit, but otherwise doesn’t seem too upset.

“Did she like the car?” Cyrus wonders, walking toward them to scratch at Velma’s head.

“She wasn’t sure what to think, but I don’t think she hated it.”

At that point, Velma wiggles her way toward Cyrus, trying to climb into his arms. Surprised, Cyrus isn’t sure what to do. TJ simply lifts her out toward Cyrus, and she latches on. Unsure of how to hold her, he struggles for a second. Finally, she finds her ideal position, with her front paws over his shoulder and her body being supported by Cyrus’s hands. She nuzzles at the side of his face. TJ presses a kiss to Cyrus’s temple as well as the top of Velma’s head.

“My two favorites.”

* * *

The pet shop is an adventure. With neither of them owning a cat before, they really have no idea what to buy. They debate over the brand of canned food for a bit, only to decide that they’d pick the cheaper of the two. TJ finds her a gigantic cat house which would probably take up half of his room. Cyrus has to ease him away from it since the cost is way out of their price range. Eventually, they settle on a few stuffed mice as well as a feather on the end of a long stick. They find a green collar for Velma to match her eyes as well as a leash because TJ insists on trying to walk her. Finally, they get a plastic bin for the litter box, and TJ heaves a giant bag of odor covering litter into the cart.

The grand total is quite a bit of cash, but luckily both TJ and Cyrus can pitch in enough money. At some point, Velma switches back to TJ’s arms again. When they get back to TJ’s car, they adjust the collar around her neck and load everything into the trunk.

“How are we going to get all this stuff inside without your family noticing?” Cyrus asks, looking at the giant pile of cat items inquisitively.

“Very carefully.”

They meet back up at TJ’s house. The first thing Cyrus notices is the open garage with an unfamiliar car sitting inside. It must his parents. Sure enough, the look of panic on TJ’s space is enough to confirm his suspicions.

Cyrus hops out, heading to the driver’s side of TJ’s car. TJ rolls his window down so they can talk.

“Shit, my parents are home,” TJ groans, banging his head against the steering wheel.

From the passenger seat, Velma meows in agreement.

“Well, we can wait to bring up the other stuff, but we can’t leave Velma in here,” Cyrus says. “We need to find a way to sneak her past them.”

“Look at you, Cyrus, being all manipulative. I’ve rubbed off on you.”

Cyrus defends, “I’m not being manipulative! I just want to do what’s best for Velma.”

“Well what’s the plan?”

“You keep a spare sweatshirt in here, right?”

* * *

“I feel ridiculous!”

“Do you have any other ideas?”

“No, but there’s _no_ way this is going to work,” TJ argues, adjusting Velma again.

“She’s small enough that you can hardly see anything but a bit of a lump underneath. If I wasn’t searching for it, I wouldn’t notice,” Cyrus fires back.

“Ugh, fine. Let’s just get this over with.”

The sweatshirt sitting in the back of TJ’s car is just big enough for Velma to slide inside and sit against his stomach. He awkwardly clutches around the bottom of his stomach in order to keep her from falling out or sliding around. Inside his sweatshirt, she meows softly.

“Just hold out for a little bit, baby girl,” TJ coos, hoping she understands.

They make their way indoors, hoping to just rush up to TJ’s room. Unfortunately, his parents are sitting right by the main entrance. Closing the door quietly behind them, the begin to tiptoe up to TJ’s room while holding their breaths.

“Hello boys!” TJ’s mother greets them.

Cyrus freezes, heart stopping. He glances over at TJ who clutches his stomach tighter. Of course, TJ’s mom being a mom, she notices TJ’s odd posture and actions. Normally, he’d be more than happy to chat with her, but today is different.

“What’s going on?” She asks again, causing his father to look up with concern.

“Nothing!” Cyrus squeaks out. He’s a terrible liar, as everyone knows, so TJ’s mother is far from convinced.

Velma starts to wiggle around again, and TJ attempts to stroke her and soothe her. TJ’s mom stands up, looking more worried. They have to think of something fast. Luckily, TJ comes up with something.

“Sorry mom, just not feeling that great,” He mumbles out. “Think I just ate too many sweets.”

“Yeah, I figured I’d take him up to his room so he could sleep!”

TJ’s mom stops in place, lips pursed. “I told you to stop eating so much candy, Tyler. You’re lucky you have such a caring boyfriend to help take care of you.”

Cyrus and TJ smirk at each other, seconds away from breaking out into uncontrollable laughter. Velma seems to be getting restless, so they hurry and finish it up.

“I know,” TJ agrees. “I do. I’m gonna go get some sleep now.”

“Okay, sweetheart, feel better.”

Cyrus and TJ race up the stairs, turning the corner into TJ’s room and practically slamming the door behind them. Velma meows loudly, but the sound is partially muffled by TJ’s sweater and his closed door, so his parents can’t hear it. TJ winces as he drops an upset Velma on the ground.

“You watch her, and I’ll get some of her stuff from the car,” Cyrus offers, thinking that Velma probably needs to use the bathroom pretty soon.

He heads out the front door, saying he’s grabbing something from his car as an excuse. When he gets to TJ’s car, he stuffs as many smaller items into his pockets as possible. Soon, all he’s really left with is the litterbox and the giant bag of litter. He decides there’s no way to explain him heaving a giant bag of litter upstairs if he’d even be able to lift it in the first place.

In the end, he decides to just scoop some litter into the litter box and come up with some excuse, although he isn’t sure what yet. Sighing, he hurries back indoors, but not without being spotted by TJ’s parents speculative looks.

“TJ said he might throw up, so I figured I’d grab this bucket from my car,” Cyrus stutters, proud of himself for the excuse. Then, without another word, he stumbles up the stairs.

When he gets into TJ’s room again, he closes the door behind him and sighs with relief.

“You made it!” TJ says, taking the litterbox from him and placing it in the closet. Velma immediately heads there.

“Barely.”

TJ laughs, pulling his boyfriend into a hug. Cyrus feels his wince and pulls back with a frown.

“What’s wrong?”

TJ sighs, “Nothing, Velma just scratched me up a little where my shirt rode up.”

“Teej! You should’ve said something,” Cyrus gasps. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, it just stings a bit. Besides, it wasn’t her fault. She was just scared.”

Cyrus convinces TJ to let him treat the scratches along his side. He rubs some Neosporin on them and bandages them up. The entire time, TJ giggles as he’s super ticklish. After finishing, Cyrus pecks his lips. Velma joins them once more, crawling up to TJ and nudging his stomach as if to apologize. TJ can’t stay mad at her. He picks her up, cradling her like a baby.

The remainder of the morning they spend trading kisses, telling stories, and petting Velma. TJ’s mom comes up to check on them once, creating a very panicked few seconds, but it all ends up alright as Cyrus is able to hide Velma under the covers of TJ’s bed.

This routine continues for the next few days. Although Cyrus can’t always come over for long amounts of time, he visits Velma and TJ as much as he can. After asking TJ’s permission, Cyrus decides to tell Buffy and Andi about the cat.

Three days after finding her, they all meet at the park since it’s pet friendly. TJ tries Velma on her leash for the first time. She doesn’t seem to like it at all in the beginning, mostly standing still and scratching at her neck. Soon, though her curiosity overtakes her, and she starts hesitantly sniffing in a circle around her. She doesn’t really end up walking, mostly just sniffing for a few feet, but at least she gets outside. TJ carries her most of the way to the park which Velma is satisfied with.

Buffy and Andi wave to them from the edge of the park. As they get closer, both girls look confused at the black bundle lounging in his boyfriend’s arms.

“Is that a cat?” Andi wonders, awe filling her voice.

“Yup!” TJ states proudly, scratching under Velma’s chin. “This is Velma.”

“She’s adorable!”

Buffy nods, still processing the information. “She’s so sweet. I didn’t know your family had a cat!”

TJ and Cyrus share a look.

“Well,” TJ explains, “We don’t. We found Velma a few days ago scavenging around in my backyard, and I couldn’t just leave here out there.”

“So your parents have no idea? How have you been keeping this a secret?”

“Carefully,” Cyrus says.

“You know you guys are going to get caught, right?” Buffy clarifies as she pets Velma.

“Not if we’re careful,” TJ reminds her.

“Do you really think you can keep an entire cat a secret from your whole family for the rest of her life?”

“I mean…I guess so.”

Buffy sighs, leaning in to talk directly to Velma. “Your owners may be nice, but they’re also both idiots. If you ever need to get away from them, I’m always here.”

“Me too,” Andi adds with a grin.

They continue to bicker and play with Velma for another ten minutes or so before heading on their way. Although it was great showing off Velma to Andi and Buffy, worries start to invade them. How will they keep this act up?

They walk back to TJ’s house in silence, only the sound of Velma’s meows there to interrupt the quietness. TJ’s parents are off doing something else, and his sister is at a friend’s house, so they don’t have to worry about getting caught for now. Still, the idea of losing a pet that’s brought them even closer together makes them worry.

“What if my parents are furious with me?” TJ wonders, voice muffled from burying his head in his arms. “What if I have to give her up? Velma’s only been here a few days, but she’s already comforted me so much when I’ve needed help. I need her.”

“Oh Teej,” Cyrus sighs, intertwining their hands. “I don’t know what your parents will say if they find out, but I hate the thought of losing her too. Not just because I love her, but because I can tell how strong of a bond you two share already.”

“I know.”

Noticing TJ’s bummer mood, Velma purrs against him. With both his boyfriend and his cat by his side, he feels comforted and less alone.

Suddenly, there’s a knock at the door that interrupts them. So lost in their confusion of who it could be, TJ and Cyrus don’t have time to say or do anything before the door swings open.

“TJ, have you seen my—” Amber stops, tilting her head as she stares at the scene in front of her. She opens her mouth again to say something else, only to snap it right back shut.

“Amber, please, I can explain!” TJ pleads.

He hops up from his position on the bed and closes the door. Meanwhile, Velma is frustrated with TJ’s movement, so she switches over to Cyrus’s lap instead, who isn’t sure what to do or say in this situation and stays put.

Arms folded, Amber stares at TJ expectantly. “There’s a cat in your room, TJ. There are cat toys all over your room! There’s a litterbox in your closet! What’s going on?”

“Cyrus and I found Velma in our backyard starving and alone. She needed our help, and I couldn’t just leave her out there.”

Amber’s cold, hard demeanor softens at TJ’s voice. As Cyrus has gotten to know the Kippen siblings, he’s discovered that even though they both put up tough facades, they have soft spots for each other and the people they care about. Never in his life would Cyrus have expected to see the siblings doing anything but bickering, yet here they are.

“Mom and dad don’t know?”

“Not yet. We’ve been keeping it a secret, although obviously we haven’t done a great job. Please, you can’t tell mom and dad!”

Amber sighs, walking over to the bed and sitting next to Cyrus and Velma. She strokes Velma, smiling at the pair of vibrant green eyes checking her out.

“Okay, fine,” Amber eventually concedes. “I won’t tell them, but TJ, the longer it takes for them to find out, the more it will hurt if they tell you she can’t stay here.”

With that, Amber pets Velma once more before heading out of TJ’s room and shutting the door behind her. Cyrus and TJ exhale, still both feeling completely overwhelmed with the situation. Amber finding out was not supposed to happen, but at least she’ll keep their secret. Still, her words cut into TJ deep, and he isn’t sure what to do anymore. For now, though, he’ll enjoy what he has.

* * *

It’s been a total of five days. With TJ’s parents absent for work most of the time during the week, it hasn’t been terribly difficult keeping Velma from them. Now, though, tomorrow is the weekend, meaning his parents will be home almost the whole two days. Stress through the roof, he takes comfort from Velma who is currently batting at one of her toys.

Cyrus is spending time with his family right now, so TJ doesn’t want to disturb him.

“What are we going to do Velma?” TJ asks with a sigh.

Velma doesn’t seem too concerned; she just continues playing with her toys scattered across the room, clearly deeply involved in this activity. It doesn’t take long until she becomes bored with that, though, and wanders to explore other parts of his room.

TJ cringes at Velma leaps up onto his desk, somehow avoiding hitting any of the objects clustered on top. She maneuvers around them all, making her way toward his standing piano keyboard in the corner of his room. She hops onto it, and TJ must have forgotten to turn it off because it makes a terrible racket. He hurries over, lifting her off the keyboard and instead putting her on his lap.

“Do you want me to teach you to play?” He coos, reaching his hands up and playing a random tune.

Velma’s eyes track his hands as they dance along the keys. She’s fascinated with it. As he continues playing, she starts batting at his hands. Sometimes, she misses, and instead hits a key. The first time she does it, she nearly leaps away from being so startled.

“Look, you did it!” TJ grins. He lifts her paw up and puts it back on the keyboard, urging her to repeat her action.

Velma paws at the keys again, this time hitting in between two of them. TJ laughs, pulling out his camera to film her.

“You’re going to be a famous pianist one day, I can tell.”

After the impromptu video and photo shoot, TJ turns on his computer as Velma lies beside him, resting from all the energy she spent playing the piano. TJ puts an episode of Scooby Doo on, his comfort show, to show Velma who she was named after. He takes lots of pictures that day, making sure to spam Cyrus’s phone with them so he can see them later.

Meanwhile, once Cyrus finishes his family activities for the day, he immediately heads over to TJ’s house, feeling bad about missing out on their time with Velma. On the walk there, he scrolls through the dozens of photos and videos TJ sent him of his day with Velma. Each picture makes his heart grow fonder.

Cyrus knocks on the door, expecting TJ to answer; however, it’s his sister Amber who opens it.

“Hey Cyrus,” She greets with a knowing smirk. “TJ’s just up in his room. I guess he didn’t hear you knocking.”

“Hi Amber,” Cyrus responds, used to her antics by now. “Thanks…and thanks for everything, you know?”

“Cyrus, you’re my friend, and TJ’s my brother. I’ll do anything to help you two out.”

He smiles, pulling her into a brief hug. Amber has changed so much over the years for the better, and Cyrus is so glad that they’re friends now. He can’t believe that the person standing before him used to be a mean, spiteful girl.

Cyrus heads up to TJ’s room, giving Amber one last smile before he goes. He knocks on TJ’s door, making sure to tell him who it is so he doesn’t freak out. Much to his surprise, though, there’s no response whatsoever. Frowning, Cyrus knocks again. Still no response. He slowly opens the door.

On the bed, TJ and Velma are curled up together, Velma’s head resting on TJ’s stomach and one of TJ’s arms wrapped protectively around her. Beside them, an episode of Scooby Doo is playing quietly on TJ’s computer. Cyrus closes the door behind him as soft as possible. He can’t wake them up when they’re looking this precious. He snaps a few pictures to capture the moment before closing TJ’s laptop and placing it back on his desk. Not wanting to disturb them, he decides to just go and sit on TJ’s chair, maybe read one of TJ’s history nerd books he’s so passionate about.

He only reads for about five minutes before TJ starts to get more restless, mumbling in his sleep. His arm tightens around Velma. Cyrus walks toward him, concerned. It looks like he’s having some sort of bad dream.

Kneeling, Cyrus strokes his cheek and kisses his forehead, whispering sweet nothings into his ear. Eventually, he calms down, body stilling and breathing evening out once more. Cyrus goes to get up again, but TJ’s hand reaches out for him, clutching Cyrus’s wrist.

“Stay,” He mumbles, half asleep.

“I don’t think there’s room,” Cyrus jokes in a whisper.

“Plenty of room. _Please_ _?_ "

There’s no way he can refuse a sleepy, soft TJ. He pushes TJ over slightly, who gets the hint and moves to make space for him. Velma doesn’t seem too happy about getting moved, but she gets over it. Cyrus slides into TJ’s bed, his back to TJ’s chest. TJ wraps an arm around him, nose burying into Cyrus’s dark hair. Cyrus’s hand curls around TJ’s. He feels their hearts beating in tandem. Soon, all three of them are fast asleep.

* * *

“Maybe I should just tell them,” TJ decides. “Maybe if I’m honest, they’ll be more forgiving.”

It’s a few hours later. The sunlight previously streaming through TJ’s curtains has faded to dusk, bathing the room in a dark purple tint. They both woke up to the sound of Velma meandering about TJ’s room. She must have gotten restless. Even though they’re now both awake again, neither feels like moving anytime soon. They’re both content wrapped up in each other, legs intertwined, and bodies pressed close together.

“Are you sure?” Cyrus wonders, hand running through his boyfriend’s hair to comfort him.

“No, not at all. But you’ll be there with me to help, right? To advocate for keeping Velma. After all, you were a great lawyer in middle school.”

“Funny. But yes, of course I’ll be there. I’ll always be here to support you, silly.”

They kiss, soft and slow. It’s a proclamation of the tenderness of their love and the strength of their connection. Their steady heartbeats turn wild and fast, a sentiment to the passion of their feelings. TJ’s arm tightens around Cyrus waist, while Cyrus’s hand trails down to TJ’s shoulder.

 _“Meow,”_ Velma complains, leaping right on top of them both.

They separate, bursting out into laughter.

“Let me feed her, then we’ll tell my parents when they get home from work,” TJ says, grabbing Velma and lifting her off them before rolling off the bed himself. Cyrus sits up, too, hair sticking up everywhere from the nap.

His parents return home about twenty minutes later. TJ hears the telltale sign of the garage door opening, followed by the slam of the door into the house. His breath stutters, eyes welling up as he looks at Velma, thinking this could be one of the last times he’s with her.

“Teej…?” Cyrus trails off, watching him stare at Velma.

“Yeah,” TJ replies, “Sorry. I’m ready, let’s go.”

They clasp their hands together as they descend the stairs, meeting TJ’s parents in the kitchen where they’re unpacking from work.

“Hi Tyler, Cyrus,” She greets. “How was your day?”

“Actually, I need to talk to you both about something kind of serious,” TJ admits bashfully.

“What is it?” His father asks.

TJ takes a deep breath. “I-I’ve been hiding something from you.”

Cyrus squeezes his hand.

“We found a cat in our backyard, and I couldn’t leave her out there! So I’ve secretly kept her in my room and been taking care of her for the last few days.”

He expects his parents to be stunned and confused, maybe even angry, but what he doesn’t expect is their neutral faces. They don’t even seem surprised in the least bit.

“Wait, did you know?!” TJ accuses, unsure of how they could have possibly figured it out.

“Of course we knew, honey. I mean, you two weren’t exactly subtle about it.”

“What do you mean?”

“The giant sweatshirt with a blob moving underneath? Cyrus bringing in a bucket filled with what looked like cat litter, claiming it was for you just in case you got sick? Constantly being locked up in your room whenever we’ve been around?”

“Oh.”

“Listen, your mother and I aren’t pleased with how you continued to lie to us about this, but we’re proud that you told us yourself. We thought we’d have to confront you about it this weekend,” His father explains.

“I was scared,” TJ admits, “I didn’t think you’d let me keep her, and I don’t know if I can handle not having her in my life.”

Cyrus agrees, speaking up for his boyfriend. “TJ cares about this cat so much, maybe even more than me.”

“True,” TJ teases, knocking his shoulder against Cyrus’s in a playful manner.

“I know that you care about her, and even though your father and I never wanted to have a pet, we could tell how responsible you’ve been with her, and we decided that it would be okay if she stays.”

“Really?!” TJ grins, unable to contain his excitement.

“There’s just one problem,” TJ’s dad says. “She could belong to someone else.”

TJ frowns. “But she didn’t have a collar, and she was starving to death!”

“She might be microchipped, TJ,” His mom explains. “She might have owners that are searching for her right now.”

Guilt fills TJ. He never even considered the possibility of a microchip, too infatuated with Velma when they met. Now, he just feels dumb. He could have taken someone else’s cat away from them without knowing.

“Hey,” Cyrus says, “We don’t know anything for sure, yeah? We just have to go and check.”

“But what if I stole her from her family?”

“You took care of her this whole time. They’d be grateful, just like Velma’s grateful. We’re in this together, right?”

TJ tugs Cyrus into a hug. “Right.”

* * *

TJ’s parents drive them all to the vet. On the way there, TJ’s nerves are running rampant, as are Cyrus’s. Velma meows while sitting on TJ’s lap, pawing at the window. She wants to be here even less than they do. When they finally do arrive, Cyrus carries Velma inside because TJ is too worried about it.

The veterinarian seems nice enough. She scans for the microchip, and they all hold their breaths waiting for the answer. TJ and Cyrus stand as close to each other as possible, trying to prepare themselves for whatever will happen next.

“She doesn’t seem to have a microchip,” The vet says, smiling at the family.

TJ grins, pulling Cyrus into a side hug. Velma is officially theirs. The vet continues to discuss vaccinations that she needs, and TJ is thankful his parents are there with them since he can’t focus on anything but the fact that Velma gets to stay with them.

On the way back from the vet, Velma is exhausted from all the attention she received. She snoozes on TJ’s lap the whole way home. When they pull into the driveway, car rocking slightly as the come up the curb, she wakes, peeking back out the window to see where they’re at. As soon as he carries her out of the car, she starts sniffing around, taking in the familiarity. TJ puts her on the ground, letting her finally explore the rest of the house.

His parents and Amber immediately become infatuated with her just like TJ and Cyrus were. She gets tons of attention, probably more than she needs, but TJ loves spoiling her. Amber insists on buying her little sweaters and colored claw covers that look like painted nails. TJ always takes videos of her doing silly things with them. He likes to dance with her, holding her out as they spin around. Whenever Cyrus comes over, the first thing he does is call for Velma. Just like TJ, she adores Cyrus and always comes running toward him. TJ pretends to be jealous, but in reality he’s relieved that they love each other so much.

It’s a month later, and TJ sits on his couch surrounded by his family as they watch a movie. Velma sleeps above them on the top of the couch, against the wall. TJ smiles as he feels her fur rubbing against his face. Everything is perfect. He reaches up to stroke her fur.

“Welcome home, Velma.”


End file.
